Craig Mazin, co-creator of The last of us HBO show, revealed that the Season 1 finale could have been a little different. The director of the ending, Ali Abbasi, had “played with” the ending of the episode, but there was a lot of discussion about whether or not to keep the last scene true to the video game series. Mazin explains how the team decided on the last move of the season.
(Warning: The Last of Us Season 1 finale spoilers ahead!)
The Last of Us season 1 finale could have been “a little longer”
In an interview with GQ, Mazin shared that Abbasi had a slightly different take on the ending that might have worked just as well:
(Abbasi) I thought I’d play this slightly longer, sadder version where Ellie says “okay” and then turns around and walks away. And Joel takes care of her. We see them both walking, not really together but apart, towards Jackson. It lingers and then fades.
Mazin thinks this ending would be “beautiful” as well, and has prompted a lot of “meta-discussions” from the team, which likely also involved Neil Druckmann, especially about whether video game fans would be upset or upset. angry at this potential change.
In the end, the production decided to err on the side of caution and make the close-up of Ellie the final shot. Mazin explains that keeping the shot on Ellie made the ending more suspenseful, not knowing what he thinks of Joel’s story about what happened to the fireflies.